A day after former Union Minister and Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari urged Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria to introduce 300 units of free electricity and 20,000 liters of free water each month to families earning below Rs 20,000 per month, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chandigarh has demanded for immediate approval of the agenda, while senior BJP leader Sanjay Tandon criticised the move.
Tandon, in a statement, said, “You can’t mislead the poor of the city with hollow promises on power and water.”
Tandon said the Congress leader has no moral right to speak about free electricity and water when his own party’s government in Himachal Pradesh has gone back on the same promises.
Tandon, who is also the co-in-charge of the BJP for Himachal Pradesh, said when the BJP was in power in Himachal Pradesh, people were getting free 125 units of electricity.
“In the election, the Congress promised to give 300 units of electricity free, but after coming to power, it discontinued giving even 125 units of electricity free to the needy. Therefore, it does not lie in the mouth of Tewari to demand free power and water for Chandigarh’s poor now,” Tandon said, asserting that the BJP remained committed to transparent governance and genuine public welfare, unlike Congress, which he accused of using “freebies rhetoric” only during elections.
In a separate statement, AAP Chandigarh President Vijay Pal Singh demanded that the Centre and the Chandigarh Administration immediately approve the democratically passed proposal of 20,000 litres of free water by the Municipal Corporation so that the people of the city can receive much-needed relief.
He said the AAP passed the agendas during the very first General House meeting convened by AAP Mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor after assuming office on March 11, 2024, for 20,000 litres of free water and free parking.
“The Delhi and Punjab model has been successfully implemented for years, benefiting lakhs of families. When such relief models can be adopted across different states of the country, why should the people of Chandigarh be deprived of the same benefits?” he questioned.
